Odd-man rushes, including the game-winning goal, a first-period breakaway goal, and an aggressive opponent that did not lack size. <\/p>\n
The Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> weren\u2019t their best for the first period and more. And they struggled to deal with the Calgary Flames\u2019 man-to-man defensive attack, eventually losing 2-1 to Calgary at PPG Paints Arena. <\/p>\n It was a disappointing loss as the Penguins\u2019 six-game winning streak ended, but also losing to a team well under .500 that had lost four straight and scored only three goals in their previous three games.<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t think we brought it for 60 minutes. So it\u2019s hard to win in this league when The first 20 minutes weren\u2019t as ugly as they were listless. Lifeless. Flat. <\/p>\n The Penguins not only had just five shots in the first 20 minutes, but they nary approached the middle of the ice. In a dramatic change from their recent play, the Penguins lounged on the perimeter, even on their first-period power play in which they had just one shot\u2013a not necessarily dangerous high-slot wrister by Rickard Rakell<\/a>.<\/p>\n Coach Dan Muse\u2019s pregame breakdown proved to be prophetic.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they got some guys up front where, if you give them any kind of time and space, even in transition, you\u2019ll see they can get going,\u201d Muse said before the game. \u201cThey look to work above you, and they look to create\u2013(Calgary will) try to get behind, try to create odd man rushes or time and space situations. So I think (we have) got to do a really good job on the defensive side, making sure we\u2019re not giving them that type of room.\u201d<\/p>\n The Penguins did give them that room, as well as the rushes. And didn\u2019t do well with puck management, giving them more. <\/p>\n Egor Chinakhov (who corrected the five-year mispelling of his name from Yegor to Egor earlier this week) scored the lone Penguins goal when he buried a pass from Evgeni Malkin<\/a> on a two-on-one.<\/p>\n The Penguins\u2019 offensive push, as well as their response to Calgary\u2019s high-pressure defense, was the difference. <\/p>\n Sidney Crosby: Goalie Interference <\/p>\n However, there was a moment when the Penguins thought they tied the game 2-2 later in the third period as Tommy Novak put the puck into the net past a sprawled Calgary goalie, Devin Cooley. Referees immediately waved off the goal, ruling Sidney Crosby had interfered with Cooley moments before. <\/p>\n Well, yes and no. <\/p>\n Even Crosby admitted the replays looked definitive, but had a little jab for Cooley, too. <\/p>\n \u201cI think it looked bad, but being in the play, I felt like I did my best to try to avoid the goalie, and I got pushed into him. So, maybe the explanation had something to do with being in the crease,\u201d said Crosby. \u201cBut you\u2019re allowed to be in the crease. I was trying to get through there and got pushed back. (Cooley) did a good job of selling it. I grazed him, and he went down pretty easy.\u201d<\/p>\n Penguins Analysis<\/p>\n The tactical analysis section belonged to Calgary, not the Penguins Saturday. It was Calgary\u2019s aggressive attack at the top of their defensive zone that befuddled the Penguins\u2019 defensemen and limited the Penguins\u2019 chances.<\/p>\n It was Calgary\u2019s quick counterstrike mentality that kept the Penguins chasing for a good chunk of the game. <\/p>\n \u201cWe got away from what was working in the second. The odd man rushes, not just on the goal against, but then also the follow up shifts afterwards, where we allowed multiple opportunities. And now it\u2019s just more momentum on their way,\u201d said Muse. \u201cAnd so we we got away from it. I didn\u2019t think we were able to really find it there till maybe a little bit more in the back half of the third period. We\u2019ve got to play a more consistent game than we did. <\/p>\n \u201cI mean, the first period. I didn\u2019t look at it as a lack of work. I thought it was a lack of execution, sometimes, positional play, just getting off of it. We gave them a lot to start the game. And then we gave them a lot at the start of the third.\u201d<\/p>\n What Calgary did so effectively was similar to the Carolina Hurricanes\u2019 defensive scheme. Calgary not only guarded the Penguins at the top of the zone, they confronted them. They didn\u2019t just take away space; they took away time and vision while pressuring the puck.<\/p>\n The result was more errant passes than the Penguins have made in a few weeks, and Calgary collected those confidence-boosting odd-man rushes.<\/p>\n Whereas the Penguins were able to sidestep Carolina\u2019s tight pressure at the top of the zone with speed and getting behind the defense, Calgary was much better (and bigger) at keeping the Penguins to the perimeter. <\/p>\n The Penguins really didn\u2019t penetrate the middle of the zone for any significant length of the game. <\/p>\n Further, the Penguins seemed to err with their offensive attack. What worked against Calgary was a chip-n-chase game. The Penguins\u2019 fourth line was the only line able to get behind Calgary\u2019s defense and break up the stranglehold on the interior.<\/p>\n The Crosby line did some of that, too. <\/p>\n However, the Penguins also tried to possess the puck, which is their strength, but Calgary was too aggressive, and the Penguins didn\u2019t force them to take a step back by winning enough individual battles.<\/p>\n In that sense, the Penguins were a little slow to change Saturday. And\u2013this should be factored\u2013they didn\u2019t have the personnel to hunt pucks without Bryan Rust in the lineup.<\/p>\n Tommy Novak<\/a> was fine on the top line, but the game demanded Rust\u2019s superior corner play and gritty low-zone offensive ability. <\/p>\n Not only was the top line missing Rust, but Muse\u2019s cascading changes to the Penguins\u2019 top nine also created a few inequities that worked against them.<\/p>\n As a result, Calgary was better for most of Saturday. <\/p>\n \u201cIn the first period, we were second on every puck,\u201d said Anthony Mantha. \u201cIf there was a battle, we weren\u2019t coming out with it, which lately, we\u2019ve been doing the opposite of that, and it has been really good for our team.\u201d<\/p>\n Penguins Report Card<\/p>\n Team: C<\/p>\n The turnovers, the failure to adjust to the pressure, and ultimately the lack of goals against an inferior opponent rightfully left a sour taste with plenty of players. For the first time since the break, the Penguins returned to that soft default around the perimeter. <\/p>\n Arturs Silovs: B+<\/p>\n \u201cYou saw how many odd man rushes he had to face. I thought he played \u2014 he kept the game close for us,\u201d Muse said. \u201cI thought early in the game, he had to make some huge saves.\u201d<\/p>\n It could have been 3-0 by the end of the first period. <\/p>\n Fourth Line: A<\/p>\n The Penguins\u2019 best line, all day. The line was the only one to hold onto pucks deep in the offensive zone consistently. They pressured Calgary in the offensive zone; Connor Dewar and Noel Acciari each had good chances in the third period, and Blake Lizotte won more battles than anyone else.<\/p>\n Rough Performances<\/p>\n Ben Kindel<\/a>: He was especially out of sorts. Calgary\u2019s size and tight gaps kept him off balance. He had a few turnovers and was caught too deep in the offensive zone, leading to a couple of Calgary odd-man rushes.<\/p>\n Kris Letang: Conor Zary (who had an A+ game, including a breakaway goal in the first period) walked Letang in the first period, and it was Letang\u2019s pinch that launched Calgary\u2019s three-on-two for the game winner in the first minute of the third period.<\/p>\n Kevin Hayes: Muse didn\u2019t show much faith in Hayes as the third-line center. He played only 7:45 and didn\u2019t make much of an impact. He was a step behind Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau in the offensive zone and didn\u2019t provide enough support to keep the play going.<\/p>\n Penguins Power Play: F<\/p>\n The unit has been a strength this season, but Saturday, the man advantage was a microcosm of the misfirings of the top players. The Penguins\u2019 power play failed to generate good pressure or momentum, instead succumbing to Calgary\u2019s heavy pressure and retreating to the perimeter\u2013and staying on the perimeter.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: Calgary Flames<\/a> Penguins Analysis<\/a> Penguins game<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> <\/p>\n
you don\u2019t,\u201d said Kris Letang. <\/p>\n